"Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws", 1 January 2024

The Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus has been convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws in a trial decried by his supporters as politically motivated.

The 83-year-old, credited with lifting millions out of poverty with his microfinance bank, Grameen, has earned the enmity of Sheikh Hasina, the longtime prime minister, who has accused him of “sucking blood” from poor people.

Hasina’s administration has become increasingly firm in its crackdown on political dissent.

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Monday’s verdict against Yunus, who is also facing an array of other charges involving alleged corruption and fund embezzlement, came as Bangladesh prepares for a general election on 7 January.

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Amnesty International accused the government of “weaponising labour laws” when Yunus went to trial in September and called for an immediate end to his “harassment”. Criminal proceedings against Yunus were “a form of political retaliation for his work and dissent”, the organisation said.